Serenade
by Malignant
Summary: karkatxnepeta sadstuck. spoilers for anyone unfamiliar with "you really should kneel" and the events after that. rated t for descriptions of gore.


(karnep sadstuck/fluff. i've only written maybe 2 other fanfictions but ey, let's give this a try! i probably should have looked around before i wrote this to make sure no other stories are similar, but i'm really tired right now and jfdlajsflajfslafjas anyway this is based on serenade from homestuck volume 8. slightly, mostly inspired by the album art.)

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><p>Your name is Nepeta Leijon and you have just been killed.<p>

Well, not quite. Your good friend, Gamzee, just bludgeoned you over the head and you are currently bleeding to death. It's quite painful really, both physically and emotionally. You're mad right now. You're furious and upset and a little bit of betrayal is there, too. Betrayal, because your best moirail didn't fight back when he had the chance. Why the fuck was he grinning? He was getting killed and this was some sort of pleasure party for him? Fuck Equius. You really shouldn't be mad him though, he did tell you to hide after all. You feel your body slowly growing colder, this is going to be a slow death for you. You should thank Gamzee for not hitting you hard enough to kill you instantly. Speaking of Gamzee, you don't see him anymore. He's traveled far enough away so that he probably wouldn't hear you if you got up and tried to run away.

You fight to get to your feet, but the blood dripping rapidly from your nose nauseates you enough to force you back down with a merciless blow. A cough sends a wave of blood from your throat, you can't breathe for a moment. Your eyelids are growing heavier and heavier, but you refuse to die now, not like this. A light from the corner of your eye startles you and your eyes flick rapidly to see. The light is soft and gentle, a nice white light. Footsteps echo and you begin to realize what is going on. Gamzee has come back to finish the job. You play dead for a moment. The footsteps are slow but rapidly grow louder. They stop a foot or so away from your face, after losing more than a liter of blood your ability to measure distance is a bit foggy.

You're suddenly very scared. You feel blood filling your lungs and desperately want to cough. You choke and get a gasp of breathe. The hiding game is over, you look up at whoever is there. Your eyes must be deceiving you, because the troll in front of you is Karkat Vantas. You feel sick to your stomach and are suddenly very aware of what you look like, how gross you are right now, but does it really matter? Your arms and legs are sprawled unnaturally at every angle. Your hair is knotted grossly with fresh green blood and your mouth hangs slightly agape.

His expression is unusually soft. Bright yellow eyes stare down at you emotionlessly. Slowly he kneels down next to you and puts a hand to your forehead.

"You should find Terezi." your voice shakes and sputters as the words trail out.

"Not now." His voice is uncharacteristically soft and gentle. His thumb traces gently down the bridge of your nose down to your cheek. A small smile breaks through; his touch numbs the pain a bit.

"I have to go soon." he says.

"So do I." you grin at your own dark joke.

A silence fills the small conversation. Both of you look at each other, his expression has turned slightly grim.

"You aren't real, are you?" you know he isn't, but you want to hear his answer.

You know it's your head messing with you. You know you're seeing things and that Karkat would never love you, but it's nice to play pretend, you know this better than any other troll. You know you've pretended Karkat has loved you before. You know you pretend he's there to hold you when you cry. You know you've pretended that he loved you and not Terezi. You also know the cruel reality. But right now you could care less; all you care about is that at least you can play pretend as you die.

"I'm here to comfort you."

Karkat lies down behind you, scooting close into your back. You can feel a soft touch on your waste, and you also feel the squish of blood against your body.

Nothing else matters right now. Your eyes go down and you see a hazy hand on your tummy, your eyes are blurring. You feel tears fill your eyes that you're going to die like this, but you refuse to cry in front of imaginary Karkat. You blink the tears away, suddenly the arm is even hazier. A cough catches you by surprise, you feel his grip on you tighten a bit, and the pain is numbed once more.

A few minutes have passed and your eyes are barely open now, his arm has almost completely disappeared. There is no more pain, but an endless chill grips your whole body. Everything is cold now, even Karkat's once warm touch. Your eyes close at last, and a voice whispers in your ear:

"Rest now, I love you"

Your moirail is dead and your friend has killed you. But suddenly, all is right in the world. You sigh and let the cold take you away from here.


End file.
